What is the census on Bareknuckle Mule Set pickups?

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lessarti

Well-known member
Just curious what people who own or have owned this pickup set, what their review would be and thoughts on them ?

Did you get along with them? Find them good in overall spectrum ?
I have them in a used Knaggs Kenai that i got a few weeks back, and find them very well balanced for lows to highs and they seem to have less higher mid emphasis vs Gibson Les paul DC that I own. So I dial in more upper presence or treble mids to get me there.

Curious to know others thoughts?
 
I've not tried them, but have come close to buying a set. I've read/heard nothing but positive reviews. It's apparently their take on a '59 PAF with a bit more aggressive character and attack, tighter bass, controlled highs, and exceptional clarity. If that's your thing, they should serve you well. Personally, I've been gravitating to lower output pickups, and driving them harder. All 3 of my guitars are nearly half the output than I normally played for years. My SG Standard, with the stock 490R/490T's sound amazing under high gain. Same with my LP, and Tele with Duncan '59's.

To me, the Mules almost describe a lower output Duncan Custom. I love the Duncan '59's in the Tele, but wish they were a smidge tighter. That could be the Mules. The Duncans scream though, for leads. Funny how you'd think you'd need more output to achieve the level of harmonics you get out of the '59. Great lead pickup.
 
napalmdeath said:
I've not tried them, but have come close to buying a set. I've read/heard nothing but positive reviews. It's apparently their take on a '59 PAF with a bit more aggressive character and attack, tighter bass, controlled highs, and exceptional clarity. If that's your thing, they should serve you well. Personally, I've been gravitating to lower output pickups, and driving them harder. All 3 of my guitars are nearly half the output than I normally played for years. My SG Standard, with the stock 490R/490T's sound amazing under high gain. Same with my LP, and Tele with Duncan '59's.

To me, the Mules almost describe a lower output Duncan Custom. I love the Duncan '59's in the Tele, but wish they were a smidge tighter. That could be the Mules. The Duncans scream though, for leads. Funny how you'd think you'd need more output to achieve the level of harmonics you get out of the '59. Great lead pickup.
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Thanks for the reply, yeah your description matches what I am hearing myself playing them through the amp. They have VERY tight and incredible overall clarity with very sweet upper high spectrum sounds. Definitely higher output vs the T498 stock Les Paul Standard DC pickups. I find the Gibson has less tight lows and more upper mid focus vs bareknuckle mules are balanced with tight lows and more output overall.

Side note: Knaggs is a killer quality guitar, I cannot believe the amount of sustain... unreal.
 
lessarti said:
Thanks for the reply, yeah your description matches what I am hearing myself playing them through the amp. They have VERY tight and incredible overall clarity with very sweet upper high spectrum sounds. Definitely higher output vs the T498 stock Les Paul Standard DC pickups. I find the Gibson has less tight lows and more upper mid focus vs bareknuckle mules are balanced with tight lows and more output overall.

Side note: Knaggs is a killer quality guitar, I cannot believe the amount of sustain... unreal.
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Really? I think the 498T is like 14k? I thought the Mule was closer to 8.5k, which is where my 490T is. But yes, the 498T does have some upper mids, for sure. Can be bright too. They sound great in LP's with some mass. 90's Standards and Studios especially.
 
I’ve found for me 8-9K is the sweet spot for a PAF style bridge pickup. But I also love my older Super D’s (80’s) Measure around 12K and don’t have the spikey mids that SD’s I’ve tried in the past. Pair with a PAF style neck and the versatility is pretty big.
 
napalmdeath said:
Really? I think the 498T is like 14k? I thought the Mule was closer to 8.5k, which is where my 490T is. But yes, the 498T does have some upper mids, for sure. Can be bright too. They sound great in LP's with some mass. 90's Standards and Studios especially.
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Yeah man, at least on mine it is lower output vs BK mules. The les paul stock pups are bright for sure in comparison. Both sound great, i really dig what each brings to the sound.
 
Lol ...just read the OP title again. I think the answer might be 2500 in the wild. But it's a guess. I don't tend to answer what pickups are living with me when they knock on the door.
 
I have a set in an Orville LPC and probably the most balanced pickup I have, sounds pretty good for just about anything. What I like the most about them is it makes my tone more about the amp if that makes sense. I have some high output pups too which I also like but they do kind of take away characteristics of the amp to a certain degree. They sound excellent for hard rock and early 80s metal, not the best for modern metal. My 2 cents.
 
i have a set in my LP, they're one of my favorite pickups. Good mids, nice sound top to bottom. Definitely not a high output option, but just an incredible sounding pickup. A bandmate of mine has them in a 335 and they're just as good if not better in it.
 
ewill52 said:
i have a set in my LP, they're one of my favorite pickups. Good mids, nice sound top to bottom. Definitely not a high output option, but just an incredible sounding pickup. A bandmate of mine has them in a 335 and they're just as good if not better in it.
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Thats sounds great! Maybe i am getting too much in my own head, someone mentioned alnico 4 magnets in BK mules are a scooped sound, but i am not hearing it at all... are their ears fkd or am i overthinking it? I like the bk mules and find balanced rq if anything and not scooped at all.
 
I’ve got a set I’ve tried in a few different guitars and they’re okay but have a kind of graininess on the top end I don’t like. I much prefer the Rebel Yells I have in my PRS single cuts.
 
balanced PAF is the first word on my mind. Seth lover set is quite close. Better than most usual PAF's but something still missing to Throbak or Holmes or vintage Gibsons.
I see Knaggs and Rebel Yell mentioned so it reminds me Steve Stevens Knaggs. It has BKP's sort of hybrid between RY and Mule, great sounding pickups.
 
To say it simple....they work. They work fantastic! I find no weaknesses in them at all when used in context of what they are for. I wouldn't make them my first choice for Cannibal Corpse type stuff. Aside from that, they kick ass in all types of guitars, especially single cuts. Balance, articulation, note definition and string separation, all excellent. They roll off well and have nothing harsh anywhere in their tonal spectrum. Plenty of output and they just sit well. If more output is needed but you desire that same familiarity and response then the Rebel Yell is that.
 
I love 'em. They're great. Dropped a set in a R7. Funnily enough the A4 pickups and voicing isn't too far removed from the Shaws in my 85 Standard (I got the 85 later and noticed some similarities after I played both next to each other) but there's a bit more output vs the Shaws. That extra 1K makes a difference there. Through a wound up Marshall type amp they bring it for blues, rock and classic metal tones.
 
This is great! Great overall feedback and opinions everyone, thank you all that replied and contributed it is very much appreciated.
It would seem all of your personal experiences with them matches reviews I have read, and what my own ears hear themselves. I think i got too caught up in my head... these things are great!
 
lessarti said:
Just curious what people who own or have owned this pickup set, what their review would be and thoughts on them ?

Did you get along with them? Find them good in overall spectrum ?
I have them in a used Knaggs Kenai that i got a few weeks back, and find them very well balanced for lows to highs and they seem to have less higher mid emphasis vs Gibson Les paul DC that I own. So I dial in more upper presence or treble mids to get me there.

Curious to know others thoughts?
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Pretty bitchin pups. I got an SSC a while back and it had those new stevens bare knuckles which are supposedly similar to the mules. Anyhow, they are bitchin pups. Pretty tight and articulate, sound epic through my amp.

I hated the first stevens bare knuckle set from a handful of years back. Man, I couldn’t get those out of a guitar fast enough. But the stevens that came in the SSC are sweet.
 
lessarti said:
Thats sounds great! Maybe i am getting too much in my own head, someone mentioned alnico 4 magnets in BK mules are a scooped sound, but i am not hearing it at all... are their ears fkd or am i overthinking it? I like the bk mules and find balanced rq if anything and not scooped at all.
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i push my mids hard anyway, hate getting buried in the mix lol. Honestly I don't hear scoop with mine. it's like anything else tho...every piece of wood is different and everyone's eq is their own thing. ymmv
 
ewill52 said:
i push my mids hard anyway, hate getting buried in the mix lol. Honestly I don't hear scoop with mine. it's like anything else tho...every piece of wood is different and everyone's eq is their own thing. ymmv
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Totally agree, each to their own. I've always been paranoid of too scooped a sound, whether live or recorded i always have gotten compliments on my sound. I always dial in amps to sound great, but within a mix versus bedroom practice sounds.
 
I use painkillers and (alnico) nailbombs. Great pickups but are sensitive in what guitar you put them in.
 
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